Off to Morzine on the 30th Jan and wanted to plan some decent runs to take my otherhalf on, will be 5 of us snowboarding.
Got a fair bit of time on my hands so excuse the length of the post.... hopefully it'll end up useful for others aswell
She's had some experience and can link turns on blues. (easy wide reds wouldn't be a problem either) She's also got 2 hour lessons with Mint snowboard school for the first 4 mornings so we'll be starting in Morzine in each morning, doesn't matter where we end up as our chalet host will pick up wherever... morzine or les gets.
Just want to avoid flat areas and be nice to know any other tips and which blues/reds are nice and wide, I've boarded some of the Les Gets side so know a little bit about the area and have searched about and found a fair bit of information, some of you might recognise parts below that you've written.....
Has anyone got anything else to add....? any really good runs that would suit on the Morzine side, Raverettes?
The Les Gets bowl is looking like a good area as she can do the same run a fair few times and easily get a chair back up,
Things i've found so far..... (sorry to those ppl who's posts I've used)
Loved the wide open blues around the TS Raverettes Chairlift - we spent a bit of time doing this loop - nice carving territory for me and plenty gentle enough for my wife.
Gentiane/Orchis: The main blue run into Les Gets from the Chavannes chairlift, this is a good run despite some flat areas. It can also be accessed from the lifts out of the La Rosta bowl, but it’s very narrow right at the top and you need to put in quick, fast turns on a board to keep going.
The middle section is great and once you reach the kiddies training area and the slopeside eateries, you have the choice of carrying on down the blue to the right (gets crowded at peak times) or going straight under the chairilft as a red, which is the Orchis section. Orchis isn’t that long, maybe 800m, but it’s a great run that’s fast, mogully and great for carving.
Belle Moulle: Left off the Chavannes Express this short red run takes you down to the lifts that service the main peaks above Morzine (Pont De Nyon and Chamossiere). It’s flat for about 80m in the middle but is steep and good for carving elsewhere. The final run down to the lifts is a wide valley where you can open up the throttle and do some serious overtaking.
Tulipe: Catch the Ranfolly Express chairlift out of the La Rosta bowl and up to Le Ranfolly (1826m). This red run is seriously fast, can get mogully but it’s a joy to burn down. Loads of off-piste surrounding it and links with several other reds that give you numerous entry options into the bowl.
Melezes: A very long red that takes you out of the bowl and to the outskirts of Les Gets. Very fast but not too technical, there’s a wealth of off-piste that can be accessed. It’s best to take the run down, then spot off-piste chances from the chairlift on your way back up for a second run. The lift back up is fast with great view.
Piste B into Morzine is very long, not too challenging but great for carving…
Bruyere back into Les Gets is also good but has a bloody awful flat section that’s a boarder’s nightmare. This is where the boardercross area is. The bit below where the Crocus run joins is good though, when you head through a tunnel under a road.
Rhodos is a good run into the bowl, as is Viollettes, a mix between a blue and a red and one for razzing down.
Melezes is a really nice ride in Les Gets. This is the run that ends up down in the Perriers car park. There are some nice kickers that can be hit at speed.
- Les Gets to Morzine on either side of the hill is a long, flat run that isn't much fun on a board
As for returning to Morzine from Les Gets, there is no need to do the long flat run from the top Chavannes express lift. Head the opposite way, and go down the Chevrelle. This is a red but it's no steeper than a steep blue, it's no problem for beginners. We took several improving-novice skiiers down there last week and they all loved it. Then take the des Troncs lift (Asterix advert on it) up and you can do 2 blue runs or a blue and a red to the des Fys lift. This takes you up the Pleney section where the very flat Belvedere lift finishes.
From there you have a few choices of boarding back down to Morzine but I always prefer Piste B, which is a long blue
if I was on a board going to Morzine from Les Gets, I would choose to go down the Belle Mouille rather than the Chevrelles, it's a sharper desent and at the end you cound sweep around to the left on the flatish bit before the lifts. You come out on the same bit as Chevrelles but less of the flat.
Belle Mouille is a much nicer way back from Les Gets than the flat blue. Then the reds from Troncs & Tetes are nice but when you want to go home it is better to take Raverettes, go straight on & down Chamois, then 'the bridge' to Fys. The alternative Blue (Lievre) is tricky to spot from the Freux red. Looks like you can do this whole section on a blue also. The green/blue from the bottom of Fys chair back to Morzine involves poling, better going up Fys (although it is a poor chairlift) & taking a red or (flat at the top) blue home. The wide, winding piste D through the trees was always favoured by our group for coming home but the bottom section has the trad dilemma - go slow, stick with crowd, poling or get the speed up.
The Pre Favre Chair (linking Pleney to Nyon) has no footrests. The alternative route from Pleney is to take Les Granges from the top of the Belvedere chair (again not on the piste map above), this is a nice blue but flat at the end so get the speed up
The Aigle Rouge red accessed from the Pointe chair starts as a series of narrow zig-zigs, with short sections of off-piste between.
If there is a big queue for the Pleney gondola, get the chair up the mountain instead
Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Tue 18-01-11 21:04; edited 1 time in total
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
snowscreen,
Just beware that Belle Mouille LG can be nasty in the middle in times of poor snow especially if busy. It's got one of those bends that people always stop at, right at the narrowest part of the bend so makes it harder for everyone.
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Lou, worth taking Chevrelles instead then? is it wider, think my otherhalf will be fine on wide reds but narrow runs are still a work in progress as shes not 100% switching from edge to edge when going straight
snowscreen, I'm not a boarder but Belle Mouille has given me a few moments in the past at the narrow bend That's the only tricky bit so not a problem if it's quiet. Also gets chopped up quickly and icy in warm weather or at the end of the day.
I would choose that though over Chevrelles now, but for someone who wants wider, Chevrelles is better - need to keep speed up though, I've watched a few people from the lift above.
If things improve on Mont Chery, take her over the back to Marmottes and Lievre for a treat (lunch/stop at La Grande Ourse ). It will have to snow quite a bit by the sound of it though as the runs are suffering
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Long shot... Anyone know anything about the ARDENTS DEBUTANTS pass?
We arrive Sunday and our chalet owner has said he's happy to drive us to the Ardent Telecabine to get a couple of hours on snow, he said we could maybe get the Ardents Debutants pass for about 18euro.
We'd be quite happy doing a blue or 2 a few times so the Parchets blue that runs under the gondola looks ideal...
Just back a week ago from Les Gets.
Not a lot of snow recently and it was getting very icy. Got much colder at the end and they were making snow.
Most blacks were closed and a few reds & blues too.
Friends had lessons in Morzine and the instructor brought them back into the bowl at Les Gets.....
FAQ
Poster: A snowHead
That's the only tricky bit so not a problem if it's quiet. Also gets chopped up quickly and icy in warm weather or at the end of the day.
). It will have to snow quite a bit by the sound of it though as the runs are suffering 
